Humza Yousaf officially resigned as Scottish First Minister today, paving the way for John Swinney to take over within hours.
Yousaf signed his resignation letter to the King as the transition comes into effect for the veteran MSP, who will become the third holder of the role in just a year.
Despite rumors that he is a “Sturgeon apologist” and a “continuity” option, Mr Swinney was the only candidate when nominations closed yesterday.
He managed to convince former finance secretary Kate Forbes to join his team rather than challenge him, in a move his opponents considered a “stitch”.
MPs are expected to vote at Holyrood today for him to become First Minister, and opposition parties will not try to block him despite the SNP falling short of a majority.
Humza Yousaf officially resigned as Scottish First Minister today, paving the way for John Swinney to be installed within hours.
John Swinney will be installed as Scottish First Minister after being confirmed as the new leader of the SNP yesterday.
Yousaf signed his resignation letter to the King when the transition takes effect
Yousaf’s fall from grace was triggered when he summarily abandoned the coalition deal with the Greens in Scotland.
Swinney cleared a late hurdle yesterday when he persuaded campaigner Graeme McCormick not to press ahead with the leadership race, even though he had gained the support needed to stand.
In his victory speech in Glasgow yesterday, Mr Swinney acknowledged the extent of the infighting and crises that have hit the SNP and admitted the party has been through “a tough, difficult time”.
But he said his party has now “reunited” under his leadership and “got to work.”
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said Swinney would simply “double down on his obsession with independence” rather than addressing Scotland’s problems.
“It is difficult to see how he can be the fresh start that Scotland needs, when he is the definitive candidate for continuity,” he said.
‘John Swinney was joined at the hip with the disgraced Nicola Sturgeon and his fingerprints are all over her numerous political failures and cover-ups.
“The solution the SNP have devised to ensure John Swinney’s coronation highlights the mess they are in.
“Is a failed former leader from two decades ago – who, as education secretary, sent Scotland plummeting in international rankings – really the best they have to offer?
Yousaf’s time as Prime Minister was spent dealing with a long list of crises, including developments in the police investigation into the SNP’s funding and finances, a series of policy U-turns, disciplinary issues, defections and bitter internal fights between factions of his party.
In his speech yesterday, Mr Swinney said the rapid leadership process can allow the SNP to “get back on the front foot”.
A Norstat poll at the weekend showed the SNP is on course to fall to just 15 seats after the general election and fall behind Labor in the next Holyrood election.
The SNP’s vote share in the Westminster election was deemed to have fallen to its lowest level since the 2014 independence referendum.
The party would hold just 15 of its 43 seats and Scottish Labor would win 28, a dramatic increase from the current two.
Swinney was the only nominee after persuading former finance secretary Kate Forbes (pictured) to join his team rather than challenge him.
According to the Sunday Times poll, the SNP had the support of 29 per cent of the electorate, a drop of three points in a month, while Labour’s turnout rose two points to 34 per cent.
Under Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP became the third largest party in Westminster, winning 56 of Scotland’s 59 seats in 2015.
The Scottish Conservatives, whose vote share remained at 16 percent in the survey, would add three seats to gain nine MPs, while the Liberal Democrats, with 8 percent, would increase their performance from one to five MPs.
Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar said: ‘John Swinney’s coronation is entirely about the management of the SNP and not the management of our country.
“At a time when Scotland is crying out for change, the SNP is offering more of the same.”